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Weeds & Wheat. And Which Are You?

“The kingdom of heaven may be compared to someone who sowed good seed in his field; but while everybody was asleep, an enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat….” The weeds are then left to grow to maturity, only to be bundled up and burned.

We are about to get to Jesus’ parables in our Wednesday Noon Bible Study one we pick up the Gospel of Matthew again after Christmas. And I will warn you, folks. The more I study them the less I seem to know. I have been challenged, surprised, shamed, encouraged, humbled, confused, and utterly baffled by the parables in the past. Today illuminates that wonderfully.

It is a fascinating parable, meant to instruct us or change our thinking on “the kingdom of heaven.” It is unclear quite what is meant by this phrase. As the gospel of Matthew unfolds, we come to understand it better. The kingdom is something that is amongst us. It is here and now. And it is growing.

From this parable we can also surmise that the kingdom is a place where ultimately some fit in and some don’t. The battle is not won. The work is not over. Something more is required of us.

This also begins a series of parables on the kingdom of heaven. We are finding out that whatever this kingdom is, it is expansive; it is surprising; it is a challenge to keep up with.

Despite Paul’s assertion that “death has been swallowed up in victory” and that the battle for righteousness has been won by Christ, it is Christ himself who seems to demand of his followers. The path of discipleship is narrow and difficult. We are expected to change our lives, and watch the world change around us. This seems like a tall order in these dark days for our country, when many have traded in news for propaganda, and when the temptation is to just check out on the daily goings on of our world.

The parable is clear: things are changing. Along with that, as things change, the truth becomes clear. And there are choices before us. So we wait, and we work. And when the fork in the road comes, we best be ready to follow.

Let us keep at the forefront of our lives the good news of the gospel, and let us pray and hope and work toward the wheat.